The 33-year-old was stunned again to learn he had been called up for a 10-day contract on Monday morning, as he was trekking with his G League teammates through O’Hare airport on the way to a game in Wisconsin. Instead, he stayed in Chicago and now plans to join the Lakers through their entire five-game trip.

The story he authored last season – the one that was at one time the subject of a possible movie deal – was unforgettable: After a decade toiling in the NBA’s developmental league and scoring more 3-pointers than anyone at that level, Ingram notched 19 points while hitting four of his five shots from deep in his NBA debut last April.

His first appearance of this NBA season was less memorable: Ingram subbed in with 4.3 seconds left in the third quarter, specifically to run a play to end the period. Walton subbed him out again to start the fourth.

Still, it didn’t stop a number of fans from applauding Ingram as he checked in – a sign of just how far his story has traveled. And Ingram, who ended up playing two minutes in the 123-107 victory over the Bulls, didn’t mind his small role in the moment.

“Grateful for the time I was out there,” Ingram said, laughing. “If that’s how I can help out on any particular night, that’s what it has to be. I have no problem with that at all.”

Ingram was able to fire off one shot attempt – a miss – off a pass from Rajon Rondo. He caught an inkling that the Bulls knew the Lakers would be trying to pass to him in the game’s closing minutes.

But whether or not he gets his points in his latest stint, Ingram said it meant more to him to be called up with 16 games to play instead of getting a more honorary nod with two games to go last year. He appreciates that although the Lakers are all but out of the playoffs, there are some stakes to the games he’s playing.

“Last year was amazing, but this year, it means a little more,” he said. “This is not just an Andre Ingram Day, it’s a Los Angeles Lakers game that you need to win, and this trip will be a good one to get some wins on. So that’s really the focus, genuinely to help the team win any way I can, whatever part I play in it.”

Ingram is a beloved teammate in the G League, where two-way point guard Alex Caruso said he enjoys sharing the floor with him. While he might not get many chances with some of his other Laker teammates, they’re getting a flavor for why Ingram’s story has resonated so widely.

“I think it’s an unbelievable story of just perseverance and just having a goal and having a dream,” LeBron James said. “So he has a great spirit, even with everything he’s been through, and we’re happy to have him for as long as we got him.”